Regardless of how you feel about poetry and prose, you most certainly can find poetry books to read this summer. Why? Because nothing will put you in a greater mood on a summer night than great poetry.
Before you say poetry is boring to read or too complicated to understand, don’t. Not only has it been said thousands of times, but it’s just simply not true. With the abundance of poetry books to read this summer, you’re bound to find something that sparks your interest as much as you spark up fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Poetry Books to Read This Summer
Summer is the season of change and fun. From going on vacations all around the world to spending quality time with friends and family, the last thing you want to do is read a book, let alone poetry.
To find poetry books to read this summer, you must first have solitude or be in a place free of screens and other distractions. In addition to free time, you must also have good concentration and discipline to finish the reading. The only problem is that summer takes these things away from us.
Alicia Cook: “The Music Was Just Getting Good”
Of all the poetry books to read this Summer, try The Music Was Just Getting Good by Alicia Cook. After her first two books, Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately (2016) and Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back (2020), Cook is finally finishing the trilogy with another heart-rending collection of poetry you won’t forget.
What makes The Music Was Just Getting Good an excellent poetry book to read this summer is that it’s written like a mixtape. Specifically, each poem is paired with a song to highlight the overall theme of hope, recovery, and mental health, and to remind readers that death doesn’t have to take place to grieve something.
Yalie Saweda Kamara: “Besaydoo”
If you’re looking to travel without leaving the house, then Yalie Saweda Kamara’s Besaydoo is one of the best poetry books to read this summer. Although her poems center around her hometown, Oakland, they still share connections to her family’s roots in Sierra Leone.
By giving an international perspective, Kamara crafted her poems to be multi-layered and incredibly moving. Also, Kamara includes multiple languages such as French and Krio into her poetry, making her writing more personal for the reader. Moreover, Besaydoo is added to the list of poetry books to read this summer as it offers a wide-ranging discussion about serious issues regarding family, immigration, and cultural appreciation.
Ada Lemón: “You Are Here”
Although there are various poetry books to read this summer, none may be more important than You Are Here. Ada Lemón, the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate, edited and released this poetry collection to challenge our understanding of what we consider “nature poetry” by revealing the various changes happening all around us, literally and literary.
Another reason why You Are Here makes the list of great poetry books to read this summer is for its various poems from other accomplished poets. Some of these poets include Diane Seuss, Jericho Brown, Paul Tran, and more. Even better? Each author reflects on their connection to nature by visualizing the world around them through strong imagery and descriptive prose.
Danez Smith: “Bluff”
Lastly, a powerful poetry book to read this summer was written by popular poet Danez Smith. His poetry collection, Bluff, was written during the COVID-19 pandemic, which also saw riots and protests throughout the summer of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.
What Smith brings to his collection of poems is a powerful reflection of their responsibility as a poet in the wake of violence brought to his home state of Minnesota, the epicenter of the George Floyd protests. If the testament to Smith’s early works is anything to go by, then how could Bluff not be a great poetry book to read this summer?
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